Prologue
On the 2nd of February, I received an open invitation from our MD to be a part of her team for a 100KM walk within 48 hours. The walk was organized by OXFAM to raise funds and awareness of their work among the poor sections of society. I immediately replied, as my earlier discussion with another friend about the same walk did not materialize.
In the late afternoon, I received confirmation that I was in and needed to walk on the 10th and 11th of February. But around seven in the evening, I received another email, telling me that the team composition changed to make it gender-balanced. I did not act on that immediately and left it for Monday. On Sunday morning, I received another email asking if I was still willing to be part of the first team, and I replied YES again. In the afternoon, we met in person in one part of Bangalore, where most of the who’s who of Bangalore stay. Somehow luck was not with me, and Aarush was sick from Friday evening (2nd) whom I had to take care of for the next few days at home.
It was a viral attack with high fever touching 104°F once or twice a day. On Wednesday, the fever reduced, and the doctor gave him some antibiotics. So on Thursday, the 9th, with lots of anxiety, I left him behind in daycare and headed to the office, where we had a minibus waiting for us.
The starting point of the trail walk was around 70 KM from Bangalore, after Kanakpura next to Sangam. There is one resort where OXFAM organized the starting point and night stay. Being a little early and a big group, we were able to push around the organizing committee and were lucky enough to get an isolated two-story building to ourselves.
Now, after 34 hours of walking and many blisters, we finished the trail walk and returned to Bangalore like wounded soldiers on Saturday night. My situation was really terrible, and I had to see a doctor on Monday; he gave me a good lecture, explaining that such extreme activities should not be tried without proper training, as the body releases potassium, which can cause kidney failure. Well, after a week of resting in bed with elevated feet, I resumed work on the 20th.
The Trip
But in the meanwhile, I was looking for a break with Pamela and Aarush as after Gujarat, we never got a chance to get out of Bangalore. As Pamela works on Saturdays, it is difficult to go anywhere over the weekends. Then the idea of Anandadham (the Oxfam place) struck me. I kept it under wraps for a few days, but I could not make it a complete surprise for Pamela, as a few more surprises came our way, like a sudden notice of PTA for Aarush on the same Saturday morning.
So, on Saturday after the PTA, we went to Pamela’s school and started for Kanakpura; we reached Anandadam around 4.00 PM. The place was very quiet, as we were the only guests supposed to spend the night there. They served us some snacks around 5 and then left for a coracle ride on the River Cauvery. The ride was great as we spotted many birds, but the best part was the complete silence, which we enjoyed thoroughly.
In the evening, around 6ish, electricity was resumed, and we returned to our tent room. We were tired, but the breeze from the river was very refreshing. We had a big dinner and headed to bed early.
Sunday morning, we woke up and had coffee. After that, we went for a 5KM walk to the Vedic School. It was a walk via the nearby forest, where termites had eaten the entire forest, turning it into hollow trees. After the walk, we had a big breakfast and then we headed out for some more activities. I found archery a great sport to focus and forget about anything around you. But I chickened out when I tried to swing like Tarzan from the high platform. Pamela was brave enough to give it a try.
After that, Aarush and I went to the river for a quick dip. But the sun was right on our heads, and we were forced to return to our tent. Aarush was too happy to continue playing with his new friend (our guide). There was no electricity, as it went away around 10. After a bath and lunch, we took a short nap before leaving for home. We started around 4 PM and reached home around 7.
It was a very short break but very refreshing, as the whole resort was ours, and we had a lovely experience with the staff of Anandhadam.